


The New Guy

by xSilentSecretsx



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hales, Alpha Derek Hale, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Asshole jar, Bad Friend Lydia Martin, Crack Treated Seriously, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Don't need to watch New Girl to understand this, Endgame Sterek, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, M/M, Mutual Pining, New Girl au, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Theo Raeken/Stiles Stilinski, Pining Derek Hale, Post-Break Up, Protective Erica, Recreational Drug Use, Recreational Wolfsbane Use, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Scott is a Good Friend, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Stiles Stilinski Doesn't Know About Werewolves, Stiles Stilinski-centric, fake polyamorous relationship, scott is an amazing friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:48:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27344578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xSilentSecretsx/pseuds/xSilentSecretsx
Summary: After catching his boyfriend cheating on him, Stiles needs a place to stay. He discovers an ad about 4 people needing a roommate and immediately goes for it. The only strange thing about them is that they all seem to be keeping a secret from him and have some weird obsession with the full moon.New Girl AU. You don't need to watch the show to understand this fic!
Relationships: (brief), (for 2 seconds but the rest is platonic), (past), Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Derek Hale/Paige, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey/Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore, Sterek endgame - Relationship, Stiles Stilinski/Everyone, Stiles Stilinski/Jackson Whittemore, Theo Raeken/Stiles Stilinski (Past)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 277





	1. Meeting the Roomies

**Author's Note:**

> My goal is to use this fic to complete NaNoWrimo! I have the next two chapters planned out already so hopefully I'll post those soon. Please give me your honest Critiques :) Chapter 2 and 3 are definitely longer!!!

“Yeah I might be an emotional wreck and cry over sad movies and puppies, but In my defense, I think I deserve it considering how my ex cheated on me...what was the question again?” Stiles looked towards the group of strangers in front of him and blushed once he realized that he was rambling. He had been a wreck since he walked in on Theo fucking some chick that Stiles vaguely recognized from Theos job. He wasn’t sure when the last time he took his medication was and hoped he didn’t come off as too much. He  _ needed  _ to move out of Scott’s place. Don’t get him wrong, he loved Scott. Scott was practically his brother, but listening to Scott having sex with Allison multiple times a night was too much. How was Scott even capable of doing that?!?! Scott couldn’t even go up a flight of stairs without wheezing, yet he can screw like a bunny apparently. Was there such a thing as selective asthma? 

“Aww, you poor thing.” The girl of the group, who introduced herself as Erica, whined. He saw the curly-haired boy, Isaac, eyes water up. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Boyd gave Isaac a strange look.

Isaac glared at him in return, “He just got cheated on, I’m allowed to feel for him.” 

Derek rolled his eyes and questioned Stiles directly, “Do you keep your space clean?” 

Stiles nodded enthusiastically, “I used to take care of the house duties since my dad worked a lot. I even clean as I cook- oh yeah I can cook sometimes if you guys like.”

Erica and Isaac immediately yell out their approval. Boyd looks thoughtful and Derek just simply glares at him. Stiles hoped that Erica and Isaac could persuade the two. He didn’t want to spend another night having to sleep with headphones. He moves way too much in his sleep and the number of times so far that he woke up to moans, because his headphones slipped off, was crazy. 

“Boyd?” Derek questioned.

“As long as he leaves my stuff alone I’m fine.”

Derek nodded but gave Stiles a critical look. Stiles gave him his famous puppy eyes, that he totally had Scott teach him how to do. Derek gave him a leveled stare before sighing and conceding, “Fine.” 

“YES!” Stiles jumped up from his seat, “You won’t regret this dude I promise.”

“Don’t call me dude.” 

“You got it, man.” 

Derek sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before getting up and heading towards his room. Erica immediately went towards Stiles and eloped him in a hug and welcomed him to the family. Isaac snorted from his spot on the couch and Boyd shook his head at her antics. 

“I can’t wait to tell Scott and finally move out! Oh, and I guess I should get my things from Theo…” Stiles’s mood darkened at the thought of going back to his exes place. 

“Theo sounds like a douche’s name,” Isaac commented. 

“Says the douchebag.” Boyd grinned causing Isaac to throw a pillow at him. Boyd retaliated by throwing one back. 

“How about we celebrate with some of that cooking you mentioned.” Erica wrapped herself behind Stiles’s back, effectively pressing her cleavage against him. 

“Y-yeah sure-um yeah” He cleared his throat, “let me see what you guys have and I’ll make some magic.” Stiles rubbed his hands together as he and Erica moved towards the kitchen.

“Oh, you’re such a cutie. We’re definitely keeping you.” Erica purred from her spot behind him.

“He’s not a pet,” Boyd called out from the couch. 

“I dunno Boyd did you see those puppy eyes he gave Derek?” Isaac digressed. 

Boyd squinted his eyes thoughtfully, “You have a point.” 

“Jar all of you!” Derek yelled out from his room. 

Stiles jumped at the unexpected addition to the conversation. Were the walls that thin? Instead, he asked, “Jar?” 

Erica moved from behind her and took a dollar from her wallet in sync with Isaac and Boyd. All three of them grumbled as they added the money to a half-full jar that sat on one of the kitchen counters. 

“This is the asshole jar.” Isaac lifted it to show Stiles before placing it back down, “Derek’s the one who contributes the most to it.” 

“Makes sense,” Stiles mumbled under his breath.

“Stiles. Jar.” Stiles once again jumped, startled. Derek was standing right beside Boyd with his arms folded as he gave Stiles a cocky grin. Stiles let out a nervous laugh as he put a dollar in the jar. 

  
  


“Dude are you sure you want to leave so fast,” Scott questioned as Stiles packed up his bathroom items. 

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.” Allison leaned against the bathroom wall farthest from the two. 

Stiles let out a soft laugh, “I love you both, but I can’t keep listening to you two going at it every night.”

Allison let out a hearty laugh as Scott gave her a dopey smile, “Fair enough. Scott go with him and make sure everything is fine.” 

Scott nodded dutifully and went over to give her a peck. 

Stiles cleared his throat obnoxiously, “Let’s go, dude.” 

Scott rolled his eyes and gave Allison another peck as Stiles fake gagged and left the room. Another reason Stiles wanted to leave was that he was sick of witnessing PDA constantly. All he wanted to do was sulk with a huge tub of ice cream, but that was difficult to do while living with the lovey-dovey couple. It seemed like Allison understood that better than Scott. Scott was so desperately in love that he tended to block out the rest of the world in favor of her. Sadly, that included not always being there for Stiles when needed. 

Plus this whole roommate thing would be a great change of pace! Well besides the fact that Derek already seemed to hate him, but hey! At Least Erica and Isaac were already on his side. Hopefully, he could use this time to soul search and move on with his life. 


	2. Stiles and his Polyamorous roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles has to get his belongings from Theo. His roommates just want a TV

“So this is Scott-” Stiles began, but was abruptly interrupted. 

“Hi Scott.” Erica purred and gave him a saucy wink.

“-and he has a girlfriend-” Erica visibly pouted, “-and he’s my best friend.” Stiles briefly left the room to put his small amount of belongings in his room before emerging with a heavy sigh. “Alright we need to go and get my stuff. Hopefully he won’t give me shit for getting the TV.” 

“If he does, I got you bro.” Scott crossed his arms and slightly puffed out his chest.”

“You have a TV?” Derek questioned from the hall entry way. Stiles slightly jumped. That guy seriously needed to wear a bell. 

“Um yeah...is that a problem?” Stiles warily asked. 

Derek shook his head,”Those two,” He tilted his head towards Erica and Isaac who had suspiciously made themselves busy, “broke our last one.”

Stiles blinked rapidly as he processed that information, “And you want me to give them a new tv to break?” 

Derek quirked an eyebrow at the two. Erica immediately leaped towards Stiles and grabbed onto his arm. Isaac did the same with his other arm and the two gave him puppy dog eyes.

“We won’t break this one!”

“Yeah you never know what you had until it’s gone and all that shit.” 

Stiles didn’t really believe Isaac, but he did like watching television, “Okay,” He gave in, which caused the two to cheer, “Buuuuuut-” They immediately groaned and let go of his arm in order to stand next to each other, “I want you guys to come with me, you know, just incase I become an absolute wreck and decide to stay with him.” 

“I wouldn’t let that happen!” Scott protested.

“We’ll go.” Derek agreed, “Boyd! Come on!” 

“R-right now?!?!” Stiles sputtered with wide eyes. 

Derek aimed his quirked eyebrow towards Stiles this time, “You wanted to wait?” 

“I mean...not really, but I don’t want to see him.” 

“And no one blames you for that,” Scott glared at everyone in the room, besides Stiles, “He’s a manipulative asshole,who will take advantage of your feelings right now. The more people to come and support you the better.” 

“If he tries anything we got you.” Boyd spoke as he walked into the room. Stiles gave everyone a grateful smile. 

“I can’t do this I can’t do this!” Stiles erratically tapped on his steering wheel. His jeep was parked in front of Theos house. Scott sat in the passenger seat with Erica and Isaac in the back. Boyd and Derek were in Boyd’s truck which was parked behind them. Stiles took a few calming breaths. 

“You got this Stilinksi!” Erica encouraged him, which made Stiles shoot her a smile in the rearview mirror. 

Scott nodded enthusiastically behind him, “You need me to go with you?” 

“No-I um-I need to do this myself.” Stiles gripped the steering wheel tightly before nodding to himself and letting go. 

“If you say so... If you need me say the word.”Scott urged as Stiles left the car. 

“You got this.” Stiles assured himself as he took each terrifying step towards the door. What if Theos new girl answered? What if Stiles was overreacting? He had his suspicions of Theo cheating, but maybe it was a misunderstand? Yeah a misunderstanding that involved being naked with someone who wasn’t Stiles… That sounded stupid even in his own head. He had every right to be angry. Stiles did everything for Theo! He changed his life plans, he moved in with Theo instead of Scott, he took a job where it would be easy for Theo to check in on him. 

Each step he took towards the door made him angrier. How dare Theo do this to him! How dare he be such a coward he couldn’t even break up with him. Stiles banged on the door loudly before ringing the doorbell a few times. The time for patience flew out of the window as soon as Theo stuck his dick into someone who he wasn’t committed to. 

“Stiles you’re back.” Theo opened the door with a cocky grin that made Stiles boil with rage.

“I’m here to get my shit.” Stiles crossed his arms and forced his way into the house, bumping shoulders with Theo on the way in. 

Theo looked towards the onlookers in the car and gave a brief wave towards Scott, still wearing an arrogant smirk. Scott narrowed his eyes in response causing Theo to chuckle and follow after his ex. “You know this is temporary right?” Theo watched as Stiles gathered a suitcase together.

“You’re delusional.” Stiles mumbled, “Where’s my favorite shirt?” 

“Maybe I hid it to keep you around longer.”

“Maybe you’re a cheating dick.” 

“Babe you’re overreacting,” Theo rolled his eyes and walked toward Stiles, who was too busy packing to notice. Theo moved a hand forward and gently caressed Stiles’s face. Stiles violently flinched back and smacked his hand away. 

“YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!” Stiles’s eyes lit up in fury. How dare he?! Stiles was well past the sadness phase and well into the anger phase. The pure audacity Theo had right now! “Screw the shirt I’ll get another.” Stiles walked towards the door and stepped out with his luggage. Theo stopped him from moving forward by grabbing hold of his wrist and gripping tightly. 

“You’re not leaving me! Not after everything I did for you.” 

Stiles stared at his ex wide eyed. He never contemplated the idea that Theo would hurt him physically. Yet, here Theo was, holding Stiles in a bruising grip. Stiles heart thundered. Theo didn’t even care that they had an audience. 

“Let him go.” Derek and Boyd were suddenly flanking both sides of Stiles. Both men stood an intimidating 6’0 and 6’3 respectively. Stiles noticed Scott and Isaac backing up Derek and Boy, while Erica discreetly played with a sharp pocket knife with a grin on her face. Stiles faintly heard growling emitting in the area. Maybe it was the neighbors cat? 

Theo looked amongst the group before letting go with an aggressive huff, “Fine.”

Scott and Isaac moved past Theo, “Where’s the TV Stiles?” Isaac questioned.

“Livingroom,” Stiles held eye contact with Theo, who gave him a venomous look in return. Scott and Isaac exit the house with the TV and they go to load it in Boyd’s truck. Stiles turned to follow, but was stopped by Theo’s words.

“Figures McCall wasn’t enough,”

“Excuse me?”

“Should’ve known you were a needy little whore who needed any little excuse to fuck your way California.” 

Stiles’s eye twitched as Derek seemed to bristle besides him, “ _ You  _ cheated on me.  _ We _ are over, therefor I can fuck whoever I want, so if I want to fuck my roommates I will and it’s none of your damn business.” 

Erica sashayed towards Stiles, her eyes flickered with something Stiles couldn’t describe. She maintained eye contact as she subtly licked her lips and leaned in to kiss him.Stiles’s eyes widened, but he returned the kiss, making it deeper with each passing second before leaning away and sending a mischievous wink towards Theo. Theo clenched his jaw at the sight and sneered. 

“Bye Theo.” Stiles wrapped his arm around Erica and led her towards the car. Erica pressed her breast into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. Isaac opened the door for her and led her in before pecking Stiles on the lips and slipping into the car on the other side. Stiles hurried into the front seat and didn’t even buckle in before speeding off. Scott was barely able to close his door. 

“We did that we seriously did that!” Stiles panicked. 

“Dude where did that come from?” Scott was grinning widely as he carefully reached for Stiles’s seat belt to buckle him in. 

“I always wanted to be in a polyamourous relationship.” Isaac noted as he played with the end of his scarf.

“Does that mean we get to have sex?” Erica wondered.

Stiles nearly choked on his spit and swerved a bit, causing Boyd to honk from behind them. Stiles waved in apology through the mirror and did his best to focus on the road. 

“Ally is going to flip.” Scott cackled. 

Stiles groaned and his face became beet red. He never done something like that before, not that he had the chance. Theo was his first and only everything. Wait?!?! That meant that Erica was his second kiss and Isaac was his third! If it was possible, Stiles’s face became even redder. 

“Thanks for that by the way. It was awesome.” 

“So...sex?” This time it was Isaac who asked. 

Stiles laughed, “Both of you owe money to the jar!” 

“Hey! You were the one who told your ex we were all fucking.” 

“Fine I owe money too.” 

“Jar?” Scott questioned with a tilt of his head.

Stiles shook his head, “Don’t worry about it dude.” He grinned widely. He was definitely going to enjoy his time with his new roommates. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not low key ship Isaac/Stiles/Erica.... I hope you guys enjoy. This chapter was shorter than expected, but I know for sure the next one is going to be longer! Please review/critique :) Thanks for reading!!!


	3. Rebound

Stiles had been moved in for a week and things were going smoothly. He was getting along well with everyone, but spent most of his freetime with Isaac and Erica. Erica was a menace, but when she teamed up with Isaac there was always some kind of chaos. Regardless, he already loved the two. They were fun and a great change of pace from the boring routine he had set with Theo. 

A knock on the door got Stiles out of his thoughts, “STILES STILINSKI ANSWER THE DOOR RIGHT NOW!” Stiles’s eyes widened at the familiar voice of Lydia Martin. How did she get his address? Wait nevermind, Scott must have told Ally and Ally must have told Lydia. 

“Better get that.” Isaac commented from the couch. Stiles shot him a glare, but walked towards the door none the less. As soon as the door opened Stiles felt a sting on his cheek. He held it gingerly as he shot Lydia a look of hurt. 

“How long have we been friends?” She glared at him and forced her way into the apartment. “How dare you! How fucking dare you not tell me!” She turned around to face Stiles and crossed her arms. 

“I-umm…” 

“Can we help you?” Erica walked in the living room looking pissed off. Her eyes lingered on Stiles’s red cheek and the welling of tears starting to form in his eyes. 

“Mind your own business.” Lydia commented without looking at Erica, “Why did I have to find out about Theo from Allison? Two weeks later at that!” 

“Maybe you should mind your own business.” Erica crossed her arms and walked up towards Lydia. Isaac turned the Tv off and gave the three his full attention. His eyes were almost as wide as Stiles’s. Derek and Boyd lingered in the doorway, both looking as angry as Erica. 

Lydia turned to face Erica, “I didn’t ask for your input. This doesn’t concern you.” 

Erica laughed cruelly, “Instead of hitting someone who got his heartbroken, I was actually there to help him against that asshole! We all were.” She gestured towards the other occupants in the room. 

Lydia’s face turned redder than her hair. She took a moment to compose herself before giving Erica a dead stare, “Listen here you bi-”

“Okay okay stop! You’re right I should have told you. I’m sorry.” Stiles interrupted Lydia. He loved her, he really did, but she was out of line with her behavior. Erica was only trying to be a good friend to him and she shouldn’t be insulted for it.

“Now that we have that settled, you owe me a favor.” Lydia looked irritated at the interruption, but moved on regardless. Stiles guessed she wasn’t in the mood to fight. Stiles was sure that Erica would win if it became physical. 

“Why does he owe you a favor after you hit him?” Derek questioned, a look of annoyance graced his face. Lydia eyed him for a moment, not even hiding the fact that she was checking him out. That action made Stiles feel slightly vexed. 

Lydia faced Stiles once more and ignored Derek’s comment, “Jackson’s company needs help and you could use the money.” 

Stiles contemplated for a moment before giving in and agreeing. Jackson worked as a fulltime model and this wouldn’t be the first time Stiles helped fill in a spot. Theo hated whenever Stiles would do it, but the money he got from those gigs were amazing. 

Erica gave Stiles a look of non belief at which Stiles shrugged at, “Isaac and I are going with you just in case she decides to get handsy again.” She gave Lydia a pointed glare. Lydia rolled her eyes and gave Stiles the time and address before leaving without another word. 

“You know that’s not cool right?” Isaac questioned warily. 

Stiles looked slightly alarmed at the question, “Yeah, but she’s probably just feeling hurt that I didn’t tell her. It’s even worse that she found out from her best friend instead of me.” 

“Still…” 

“Yeah you’re right she shouldn’t have hit me,” Stiles went over towards the couch and slumped down. Isaac gently grabbed Stiles’s chin and expected the red cheek, “Don’t worry I talk to her about it.” 

“Are you seriously going to help her?” Erica was pacing back and forth.

“Do you need to cool off?” Boyd gave Erica a pointed look.

Erica shook her head, “I’m good, I’m in control.” 

“Lydia was right I do need the money, a library assistant doesn’t make that much plus I’ll be able to pay rent for a couple months from this gig.” Stiles leaned into Isaac, who was soothingly messing with his hair. 

“You’re a librarian?” Boyd gave him a look of disbelief, “You know that you have to be quiet, right?” 

Stiles held his hand over his heart in mock defense, but before he could defend himself Erica interrupted, “This is not the time! Stiles you are my fake boyfriend, so as your fake girlfriend I’m here to protect you-”

“Isn’t that my job?” 

Isaac bopped him on the nose with his pointer finger and shook his head, “Don’t be sexest.” He chided.

Erica cleared her throat and glared at the two, “As I was saying, I’m here to protect you and so is Isaac.”

Stiles tilted his head as he asked, “Why not Derek and Boyd?” 

“They didn’t kiss you, so they’re not a part of this.” Isaac rolled his eyes as if it was obvious. Stiles frowned. It definitely wasn’t obvious. 

“Don’t be greedy, you don’t need four boyfriends.” Derek smirked. 

“How am I expected to keep these two in line?” Stiles gasped outraged. 

Boyd chuckled, “Good luck.” 

“Who invited the spaz?” Jackson yelled out once he spotted Stiles. 

Stiles rolled his eyes and flicked Jackson off before being forcefully ushered away towards a dresser room. Jackson briefly observed the two that walked in with Stiles before directing them to stay out of the way. Jackson then went to go watch as Stiles got his hair styled. 

“I’m not in the mood Jackass,” 

Jackson glared at the light bruise forming on Stiles’s cheek, “Who did that?” 

“Your girlfriend,” Stiles answered as if it were obvious. 

Jackson looked taken aback, “Why?” 

“I didn’t tell her Theo cheated on me,” Stiles muttered as the makeup artist quickly covered the mark in concealer, “What’s the theme today?” 

Jackson gave him a scrutinizing look, “I’m going to look for Lydia.”

“Do whatever,” Stiles looked at Jackson’s retreating form, baffled. 

The process of getting ready took only 30 minutes, but that was the easiest part. The hard part would be modelling with Jackson without killing him in the process. What made it worse was that it was a romantic shoot. Jackson and Stiles were dressed in some designer suits with a fancy dinner table in front of them. Jackson had to pose as if he was opening the serving platter with cologne on the tray. Stiles stared adoringly up at Jackson. It made him want to vomit, but money was money. It took an hour to complete with some snarking inbetween, but Stiles was grateful that he was able to get out of that suit. He was definitely not a suit guy. 

“Ready to go?” Erica questioned from beside a seething Lydia. 

“Uh oh what happened?” Stiles gulped. Isaac sat on one of the waiting chairs with a cocky grin on his face, “Wait nevermind, what did you two do?” 

Erica placed her hand over her heart in fake exasperation, “We would never-” 

“What’s this about you dating those two?” Lydia pointed at Erica and Isaac while tapping her foot impatiently. Jackson joined them in that moment. 

“I’m still single Lyds,” Stiles rolled his eyes, “Single for the first time in years….anyway I basically told Theo I was having sex with all my roommates soo, yeah, that’s where that came from.” 

Jackson whistled in approval, “You know what this means,” He raised an suggestive eyebrow. 

Stiles stared at him deadpanned, “I’m not having sex with you and Lyds.” 

Jackson narrowed his eyes, “Why the hell not? We’re hot and out of your league.”

“Wouldn’t wanna ruin your image.” Stiles teased.

“Boys enough.” Lydia sighed as if she were dealing with children.

“No boys keep going.” Erica grinned as she eyed both men, “Do you two always have this much tension?” 

Stiles looked sickened at the thought, “Gross.”

Jackson scoffed, “Grow up and realize that I’m everyone’s type.”

Erica hummed, “You sure are.” 

“Erica he has a girlfriend, stop doing this.” Stiles chastised her slightly.

“Speaking of, you need sex.” Lydia said as if it was the most normal thing to say in front of people she didn’t know. 

Jackson whipped out his phone and quickly sent out a text. Stiles felt a buzzing in his back pocket after Jackson finished. He looked at his phone to see that Jackson posted in their group chat that they were going out for drinks that night.

“How is going out for drinks going to get me laid?” Stiles squealed, while Erica peaked her head over his shoulder to read his message. Stiles would care more if it weren’t for the fact that he was internally panicking. What if he sucks in bed? He’s only been with Theo and Theo had specific kinks he was into. Stiles didn’t even fully know what  _ he  _ was into. 

“We’re going to!” Erica sent Lydia a challenging look. Lydia matched it with her own personal addition of bitch face. 

“Boyd and Derek are in,” Isaac announced from his spot in the chair. 

“Well that’s settled then.” Erica sent an arrogant wink towards Lydia, before forcefully whisking a protesting Stiles away. 

Stiles didn’t want to be here. He’d rather be curled up at home watching sitcoms over and over until Derek forces him out of the living room. But, instead he’s stuck at a bar in between two of his friend groups, some of which hate each other. Erica and Lydia had been staring each other down since they arrived. Allison would occasionally say something snarky, but not in a way that was too obvious. Boyd and Derek were indifferent and focused on conversing with each other, while Jackson and Scott bickered amongst each other. The only saving grace seemed to be Isaac and Danny. Danny, who was scoping out some of the guys for Stiles. 

“Stay away from him,” Danny discreetly pointed to a guy who was wearing a polo and slacks, “You want a one night stand not commitment.” 

“What's wrong with commitment?” Stiles muttered before sipping some of his coke and rum. 

Danny fondly rolled his arms and nudged him, “ _ You  _ don’t need commitment anytime soon. You need to find yourself.” 

Stiles nodded diligently before finishing his drink in one chug. Danny gave him an impressed look and offered to buy him another. Stiles agreed with a hum, appreciating the slight floaty feeling he had. 

“What about that girl?” Isaac pointed out a pretty blonde girl who was laughing at her friend's joke. Stiles made eye contact with her and sent her a smile that she returned. Stiles tilted his head towards the bar and she nodded, before whispering something to her friends and heading there. 

“Let me buy you a drink.” 

The girl giggled, but nodded nonetheless. The two chatted for a bit, while being watched by their respective friend group, before exchanging numbers and going back to their tables. Danny slid Stiles the drink he bought and Stiles drank it down gratefully. 

“That was terrifying.” Stiles mumbled into his drink.

“What happened?” Derek questioned before sipping the beer he’d been nursing the whole night. 

“Her name is Heather, we’re going on a date tomorrow night then to her place.” Stiles shrugged. He felt light and almost dizzy. He felt good. 

“Okay Mr.Suave.” Erica threw a nut at him, which took him entirely too long to register. 

“Maybe you should take some notes.” Boyd nudged Derek, causing said man to growl. Stiles noticed how Allison frowned at the noise. That meant he couldn’t just shrug it away to him being drunk. Now that he thought about it, all of his roommates were a bit weird. There was the constant growling, the crazy hearing, he could’ve sworn he saw Erica’s eyes change colors at some point. He wanted to just say that they were furries and be done with it, but it seemed like a little more than being a furry...or maybe he was just drunk? 

He spared a glance at Allison once more. She was staring intensely at Derek before making eye contact with Stiles and giving him a look of concern. 

“Stiles can we talk for a second?” She fluttered her eyes sweetly. Stiles nodded and slid out of the booth. Both of them headed towards the restrooms, where it was more quiet, and stopped outside of the door. 

“What’s up?” He questioned warily. 

“You’ll tell me if something weird happens while you’re staying with them, right?” She looked sincere and worried. 

Stiles frowned, “Of course,” 

“This arrangement is only temporary right?” 

Stiles glanced back towards Derek, “Did he say something to you?” 

Allison shook her head, “No, but I get a bad feeling about all of them?” 

He quirked an eyebrow at her, “Is this about Lydia and Erica?” 

“What? No! Listen Stiles I need you to promise me you’ll let me know if anything weird happens or if one of them hurts you.” 

“Umm okay I promise I guess.” 

Yeah something was definitely going on that Stiles wasn’t aware of and he was going to find out what it was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had a good chunk of this chapter done for a while, but struggled with ending it. Also if you guys have any suggestions or ideas that you think I should add please let me know! I'm not used to writing this kind of story but I'll do my best!!! Thanks for reading and all of the amazing comments


	4. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles's date night

Stiles groaned as the sunlight hit his eyes. He had a slight headache and didn’t want to face the day. The night surprisingly went without bloodshed, though his thoughts were mostly consumed by the conversation he had with Allison the previous night. She seemed to believe that they were going to hurt him. Why? Did she have some sort of history with them? She was never this protective over Stiles before, so what changed. 

Stiles slipped from his covers and rubbed his eyes as he headed towards the bathroom. Luckily it wasn’t occupied, so Stiles brushed his teeth before getting ready for the day. He briefly eyed the bruise on his cheek and frowned. He still needed to talk to Lydia. He was pretty sure Jackson already had, but she never approached him to apologize, which was unacceptable. His mind went to the date he had that night. He had no idea what to wear considering he hasn’t been on a date in years. He frowned at the clothes he had in his closet. Maybe he should go shopping? 

He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and sent Heather a message about where she wanted to go. She gave him an address to a restaurant and told him she would meet him there at 9pm. Stiles agreed before putting his phone up and observing his clothes. The restaurant she chose was expensive, but doable since Stiles was able to sneak part of his paychecks into a secret savings Theo had no clue about. It was the money he was using for rent currently, but he was planning on finding a new job soon anyway. 

Stiles is startled from his thoughts when his phone alerted him of another text. He grabbed the phone again and frowned at the message from Heather. She was asking him who the girl he was talking to was. Stiles quickly responded by saying she was a friend of his. After five minutes she didn’t text again. Stiles shrugged and put his phone on his bed before dressing into some jeans and a plain black t-shirt. He frowned at his appearance and decided to go ask Isaac for advice. 

He didn’t even get to knock on Isaac’s door before it swung open and a hand hurriedly dragged him in. 

“It’s about time.” Isaac scoffed as he eyed Stiles up and down. 

“Excuse me?” Stiles’s eyes were as wide as an owls. 

“Your outfit for tonight. You need help and recognized my superior fashion.” Isaac nodded to himself as he pulled a tape measurer from seemingly out of nowhere. He started taking Stiles’s measurements and muttering to himself. After Isaac finished with that, he went to his closet and fished out a nice dress shirt and some slacks. Both garments seemed to perfectly fit Stiles.

“Why did you measure me up, when you already knew you had these?” Stiles squinted his eyes in confusion. 

“Makes me feel like a professional stylist.” Isaac shrugged, while digging through some shoes. It took a while before Isaac yelled out in victory and pulled out a pair of size 7 dress shoes.

“Okay dude why do you know my shoe size and why do you have these?!” Stiles shouted, thus making his headache come back with a vengeance. He winced at the pain. Isaac shot him a look of concern and placed the shoes down. He walked over to Stiles and placed his hand on his forehead. Stiles felt as if the pain just vanished. 

“You okay?” Isaac questioned while removing his hand.

“Yeah just a hangover, but it’s fading now.” 

Isaac nodded, “I’m in school for fashion styling. These are just from my costume design class. I had to organize outfits for a play the theatre students were doing.” 

Stiles blinked in surprise, “That’s cool! I’m sure I could convince jackass to get me someone to connect with you about this.” Stiles was grinning widely causing Isaac to blush. 

Isaac cleared his throat, “Y-yeah that would be great actually.” He smiled tentatively. The smile didn’t last long, “Actually the clothes come with a fee.” 

Stiles quirked an eyebrow but gestured for Isaac to continue.

“Next week I want you to make me breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.” 

Stiles cocked his head, “Strange, but doable. Deal.” 

Isaac smirks, “See I knew there was a reason I liked you.” 

Stiles gathered the clothes and scoffed, “Asshole jar!” He yelled as he left the room. 

Erica was sitting in the kitchen, giving Stiles a questionable look. Stiles simply shrugged before showing her his outfit for the night and agreeing to let her style his hair. Now all Stiles had to do was wait and take it easy until tonight.

* * *

It turned out that Stiles was incapable of staying still. He was a ball of nerves and not to mention how he’d been unmedicated for about a year now. Maybe that’s when Stiles should have left Theo. Theo deemed the money spent on his Adderall was a wasteful expense and convinced Stiles he didn’t need it anymore. Now that Stiles thought about it, that was a huge red flag. It made work all that much harder to manage. 

“What’s up?” Derek sat next to a frowning Stiles on the couch. The tv wasn’t on meaning that Stiles was so absorbed in his thoughts that he forgot to turn it on. 

“I should probably get back on my meds,” Stiles muttered bitterly.

“Prescribed right?” Derek gave Stiles a judgemental look. 

Stiles snapped his head towards Derek, “I’m the son of a Sherrif. Of course, they’re prescribed!” 

“Aren’t you doomed to go through the rebellious stage?” Derek question with a slight tilt of his lips. 

“Been there done that and not in the way you think.” Derek look seemingly got more intense, “I used to listen to his police scanners and pop up at crime scenes to check them out.” 

This earned Stiles a hearty laugh from Derek, “I knew you were a little weirdo.” Stiles didn’t know whether to be proud of making Derek laugh or offended at his comment. 

“How the hell did you manage to get Derek to laugh?!” Erica popped up from behind the couch causing Stiles to splutter and flail in fright. 

“YOU ALL NEED TO WEAR BELLS I SWEAR!” Stiles clutched over his heart for dear life. His roommates were going to give him a heart attack one of these days.

“Erica. Jar.” Derek grunted. 

“But you do it all the time.” She pouted but put money in the jar none the less. Derek sighed and fished a 20$ bill from his wallet and handing it to Erica, who gladly put it in the jar. 

“So what are we laughing about?” Isaac popped his head out of his doorway, which had a direct view into the kitchen and living room. 

“Stiles.” Derek answer simply. 

Stiles glared at him, “Yeah yeah it’s pick on Stiles day apparently.” 

Erica rolled her eyes, “Stop being such a baby and go get ready for your date so I can make you pretty.” 

“For someone who’s supposed to be my fake girlfriend, you’re very mean.” Stiles pouted but got up nonetheless. 

“Yet you’re the one getting laid tonight and isn’t with me or Isaac. I’m jealous.” She dramatically wiped a fake tear from her eyes. 

“I’ll be with her, but only the two of you will be on my mind.” Stiles winked at Isaac, who returned it immediately. 

“Good enough for now I suppose.” The curly-haired boy commented dryly with a beginning of a smirk, “Now go change before Erica forces you to stay.” 

Stiles gives the room occupants a salute before dashing towards his room and changing. After he put on his clothes, he met Erica and the bathroom, where she covered his bruise (while cursing venomously under her breath) and styled his hair using a bit of gel. After she deemed him perfect, she pushed him into the living room and showed him off. Isaac gives Stiles an appreciative whistle as Erica twirls Stiles around. 

“You’re oozing sex right now.” Erica complimented. 

“Better hurry up and go before she keeps you for herself,” Boyd commented from the hallway entrance. 

“Thank you guys so much! You’re awesome!” Stiles enthused before planting a kiss on Erica’s cheek and rushing out. 

Stiles missed the way Erica’s face reddened at the unexpected action or how Isaac pouted about not getting a kiss goodbye. 

* * *

Stiles arrived at the Restaurant ten minutes early and decided to get the table. He sent Heather a text letting her know After 20 minutes Stiles checked his phone to see if she had responded and was upset to see nothing. After 45 minutes Stiles had eaten three baskets of bread rolls by himself and was staring at his phone. He tried calling her, but it went straight to voicemail. Maybe her phone died? Or it broke? 

“Sir you’re going to have to leave if you’re not going to order anything.” A waitress told him with pity in her eyes. 

“Please just ten more minutes. I’m sure she’s just running late.” He gave her a wavering smile and she nodded and left. 

Stiles frowned at his phone. Did he do something wrong? Why wasn’t she here or answering? Maybe Stiles was the problem. His shoulder drooped as he hung his head low. All he was doing was embarrassing himself. He blinked back the stinging tears in his eyes. He couldn’t go back to the loft or everyone would worry. Maybe he should go to a bar and drink until it closes, but then where would Stiles go? He didn’t want to go to Allison and Scott’s, especially after that conversation with the former. 

“Stiles?” 

Stiles looked up to see Derek in front of him with takeout bags in both hands. Just his luck that Derek would see how much of a loser Stiles was. 

“Sir I’m sorry we’re going to have to ask you to leave.” The waitress returned with a guilty look on her face. 

“It’s fine. My mistake, I thought we were getting takeout. Is it fine if we eat this here? He’s already dressed up and I don’t want his efforts to seem wasted.” Derek shot the waitress his most charming smile, making her nearly swoon on the spot. 

“That should be fine. I’ll notify the others that you already paid. Would you two like anything to drink?” 

“A bottle of Chardonnay please.” She nodded and left to fulfill the order. 

“Derek you don’t have to stay here,” Stiles stated but stared at the man in awe. Derek fished his phone out of his pocket and typed something out before putting it back into his pocket. 

“Too late.” Derek shrugged and started removing the food from the bags. The food covered the whole table. Stiles looked up and saw Boyd, Erica, and Isaac make their way toward the table.

Stiles couldn’t stop the onslaught of tears that fell from his eyes. No one has ever done something like this for him. He’s only known them for a week and they were already pretty high on his best friends list. They all took seats at the table. Derek was next to Stiles and both of them were across from Boyd and Erica. Isaac pulled a chair to sit in the open space beside Stiles. 

“So does this mean we’re in a five-person relationship?” Boyd broke the silence with a grin. 

Stiles let out a snort while wiping his tears away, “The best relationship ever.” Everyone nodded in agreement, “Thanks guys,” He sniffled, “I really appreciate this.” His watery eyes met with everyone. Isaac scooted closer and dragged Stiles into a hug. 

“Well, we decided that you’re our now and we treat what’s our right,” Isaac mumbled into Stiles’s shoulders. 

“Not a pet,” Stiles muttered with amusement. 

“Lose the puppy dog eyes and we’ll re-discuss.” 

Stiles squeezed Isaac tightly before pecking him on the cheek, “Forgot to give you that earlier.” He smiled. 

Stiles decided he didn’t care what Allison thought. He didn’t believe any one of them would hurt him on purpose. They were already doing so much for him and he was going to hold on to them for as long as they allowed him to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! I'm over here trying to remind myself not to let Erica/Stiles/Isaac not be a thing. I love writing them in this story so much, but since it's Sterek endgame I can't write them without breakup drama. Maybe I should make a What If one shot about if they got together in this universe. Let me know what you think of that. The next chapter will have Allison, Lydia, Scott, Jackson, and Danny in it! Thanks for reading!


	5. A day of Suprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles is not having a good time, but that doesn't mean Isaac can't.

“He’s seriously making you do this still?” Derek nearly growled out once he saw Stiles preparing dinner for one on a Tuesday night. Stiles simply shrugged and continued to whistle a tune he made up. 

“I like cooking and I really do owe him one.” He responded as he added the sauce to the pasta. 

“It’s called empathy.” Derek moved to look over Stiles’s shoulder. Everyone else was eating takeout, but Isaac was getting homemade spaghetti, steak, and steamed vegetables. The thought irked Derek for some reason. He couldn’t help but feel like Isaac was taking advantage. Cooking for every meal took time and that meant Stiles wasn’t job searching as much as he should. The thought made Derek frown. 

“I like cooking for people, plus he doesn’t complain when I make his food healthy.” Stiles pointed out.

Derek quirked an eyebrow, “You cook for your dad?” 

“Yup,” Stiles popped the ‘p’, “He has heart issues, so I do what I can to help. Since I don’t live there anymore I have Scott’s mom monitoring and reporting his diet to me on a weekly basis.” He hummed out proudly. 

Derek couldn’t help but to smile, “You have a good heart.” He patted his shoulder before moving to go into the living room. Isaac chose that moment to leave his room. “Isaac. Jar.” He demanded without sparing the said boy a glance. 

Stiles turned and saw the deflated look Isaac had. Something was wrong. Stiles plastered a smile onto his face and loaded a plate for Isaac before handing it to him. Isaac muttered his thanks causing Derek to shout  _ ‘jar’. _ Stiles observed the taller man for a second. Isaac had seemed down this week. Everything was fine after the group ‘date’, but as soon as Monday hit, Isaac’s mood went downhill. 

Stiles decided to seek out Erica to discuss. He went to the girls room and knocked. She opened the door after a minutes and dragged him in. He looked around dazed. He had never seen her room before and it was different than he expected. There were posters everywhere of different bands and celebrities the girl likes. The most shocking thing was the vast amount of comic book merchandise and decor. A huge poster of catwoman was above the bed. The queen size bed was filled with pillows and blankets, lacking any and all nerdiness. 

“What’s up?” She questioned as she plopped herself on her bed, causing her to bounce a few times. 

“I like your room.” He nodded approvingly, gesturing to the poster. 

She grinned, “Thanks! Now that I think about it, I haven’t even seen your room.” She hummed thoughtfully. 

Stiles shrugged and decided to sit next to her on the bed, “It’s nothing special. What were you doing before I stopped by?” He pointed to the laptop at her desk that was open on a Facebook page. 

“Facebook quizzes. Oh! You should do some! Wait actually you should add me!” 

“Oh I uh- I don’t really use my socials.” Stiles faintly protested. 

Erica was quick to wave him off, “So what? Add me.” 

Stiles rolled his eyes and dug his phone out of his pocket. He opened up the Facebook app and searched for Erica Reyes. Stiles was shocked to see that Jackson was a mutual friend of theirs, so he questioned her about it. 

“Oh we agreed that we should have some sort of way to contact each other in case something’s up with you.” She answered as if was obvious. 

Stiles blinked owlishly before slowly craning his head to face her, “Jackson agreed to that?” 

Erica laid down, grinning devilishly, “Oh honey he’s the one who suggested it.” 

“Oh-wow oh-um.” Stiles spluttered with a hint of a blush. He didn’t think that Jackson cared. 

“Now add me.” She threw one of her smaller pillows at him. He threw it back with a fond roll of his eyes and proceeded to add her. He scolded through and liked a few photos before his eyes wandered to her friend’s list. He might as well add the rest of his roommates as well. As soon as he got to Isaac’s page, his eyes widened. 

“His birthday is on Friday.” He whispered with wide eyes. Erica crawled over towards him to see what he was talking about. She whistled lowly. 

She her gaze quickly went to the door and then Stiles again, “We’ll talk about this later. OH! We should go to the bar tonight.” 

Stiles nodded enthusiastically, his mind was whirling at the new information. Why didn’t Isaac tell him? Was this why he wanted Stiles to make food for him? Was this Isaac’s subtle way of celebrating his birthday? “Drinks sound great.”

“Good,” Erica approved, “The two of us don’t get to hang out much.” 

“I need some more Erica in my life.” Stiles sighed dramatically. He got up and stretched his joints. 

“Stiles what the fuck?” Erica squealed. 

Stiles turned quickly, startled, “What? What did I do?” 

“You’ve been hiding that ass from me.” She pouted before poking him on his right butt cheek. 

Stiles blushed bright red, “I’m not even going to respond to that.” He said before mumbling something about not feeding the trolls. 

“I’m buying you skinny jeans.” 

“Have fun with that.” 

“Oh I will.” She gave him a confident grin, before leaping up and slipping her shoes on. She grabbed a simple black purse and threw some cash, her phone, and keys in it. Once that was done she dragged Stiles out of her room and towards the nearest bar. 

* * *

  
  


“Now let’s talk about our third.” Erica was sitting across from him in a back corner booth. Both had a couple of beers in front of them. 

“I thought we were a fivesome now?” Stiles jested slightly. 

“You two are my favorites.” 

“You’re not supposed to have favorites.” He pointedly took a swig of his drink. 

She rolled her eyes, “Yeah yeah now spill! I saw you planning and I want in.”

“We can be like a dynamic duo.” He agreed. 

“I call being Catwoman.” 

“Only if I can be your Batman.” 

After that was settled, Stiles began relaying his theories about Isaac’s behavior throughout the week. Erica listened attentively. 

“Isaac never celebrates his birthday.” She mentioned once he was done. They both were on their third drink. Stiles felt nice and tipsy. 

He leaned in closer, “But I think he wants to.” Stiles pouted, “Why else would he make me cook every meal for him on his birthday week?” 

Erica furrowed her eyebrows, “Maybe you’re right, but how are we going to plan a party in basically one day.” 

Stiles waved the question away, “I got this, but I’m going to need everyone to help with this.” Erica agreed with a chug of her drink and a grin.

* * *

“ALRIGHT PEOPLE! LISTEN UP!” The next day Stiles called a meeting when Isaac was at class. He had managed to convince Jackson, Scott, Allison, Danny, Derek, and Erica to join him. Everyone else he had in mind happened to be busy with work or school. “We have one day to get ready for this party and it has to be perfect.” 

“This is dumb,” Derek added with a roll of his eyes. 

“Yet you’re still helping.” Stiles pointed out, “Anyway, I already have everything planned out and booked a venue-”

“When the hell did you have time to do that?” Erica question with wide eyes. 

“I made time.” He waved her unnecessary comment away. Seriously? They’re on a time crunch and Stiles did  _ not _ have the patience for this. “Any more interruptions before I continue?” He sent an icy look towards the occupants of the room. 

“This is a waste of time,” Derek commented.

“Well since you know all about wasting time, why don’t you distract Isaac tomorrow.” Stiles whirled around to face Derek and placed his hands on his hips. He sent Derek a look that just  _ dared _ the larger man to challenge him. Luckily, Derek decided this was not a battle worth fighting. “Okay.” Stiles clapped his hands and looked at everyone, “Derek is on distraction duty, Erica and Allison are going to be decorating-”

“Why would you do that to us.” Allison groaned. 

“Well since Lydia isn’t here, she can suck it up if it isn’t up to her standards,” Stiles muttered bitterly. Scott and Allison gave him looks of pure shock. It was understandable. Stiles treated Lydia like a goddess. Someone who could do no wrong, but he was a kid then. A stupid teenager who didn’t realize that everyone has flaws and not all flaws could be ignored. She crossed a line and never apologized for it. He was allowed to be salty. 

“You okay man?” Scott gently placed a hand on Stiles’s shoulder. 

“Leave him alone. He’s learning about boundaries.” Danny smiled from his spot on the couch next to Jackson. Allison and Scott share a look of confusion but drop it. 

“So Ally and Erica on decorating duty and Boyd told me he’d cover invites. Scott, you’re in charge of making the playlist.” Stiles nodded to himself with a thumb resting on his cheek. His face was scrunched up as he spoke and he couldn’t help but pace back and forth. 

“Why am I here? Don’t tell me you’re just wasting my time Stiles.” Jackson crossed his arms and managed to give Stiles the bitchest look he’d ever seen. 

“I need a favor and I’ll totally owe you.” Stiles stopped pacing and moved to be in front of Jackson. Jackson’s eyes lit up at the thought of having Stiles owe him a favor. 

“This sounds like a mistake,” Erica mumbled with a yawn. She didn’t appreciate being literally dragged into the room, but in Stiles’s defense, it was one in the afternoon and they had too much work to do. 

“I’ll do it.” Jackson grinned wickedly causing Danny and Scott to groan loudly. 

Scott yanked Stiles to the side of the room and whisper (very loudly by the way), “Dude you just sold your soul to the devil!” 

Stiles frowned and glanced at Jackson, who looked like the cat who caught the canary, “Why the hell is the devil so hot?” He questioned with a squint of his eyes.

Erica burst out laughing and Derek had a smirk playing at the edge of his lips. Danny couldn’t help but grin alongside Allison, while Scott looked at Stiles with pure mortification. Jackson was red all the way down to his chest. Stiles had never seen him so speechless in his life. 

“Are you still drunk?” Erica was more awake than earlier and was entirely too amused. 

“No,” Stiles admitted with a slump of his shoulders, “I’m stressed-”

“He doesn’t have much of a filter when he’s stressed, which makes me wonder, what’s  _ your _ job for this party,” Danny interjected and gave Stiles a speculative look. The question caught everyone’s attention. 

Stiles flushed slightly with everyone’s gaze intently on him, “I booked the venue and I’m cooking slash baking.” He sheepishly raised his hand to the back of his neck.

Derek’s eyes narrowed, “Everything?” 

Stiles shrugged, “It’s not much.” 

“Are you sure?” 

Stiles nodded, but Derek didn’t seem convinced. Derek’s body relaxed slightly after a few awkward seconds of silence, “If you need help, ask.” He ordered. Stiles gave him a cheeky grin before saluting. It wouldn’t be too much. Right? 

* * *

  
  


Wrong! So fucking wrong! Stiles never been so wrong in his life. He went two nights back to back without sleeping in order to get things done quicker, but all it did was stress him out. He put too much on his plate. So many different appetizers and dishes and deserts...then there was the cake. The fucking cake! He was tired. Stiles was uncoordinated on a good day, but two nights with no sleep? He was a hurricane. He added too many eggs at first. Then too little. Then he accidentally dropped the batter, but only after he poured the entire bag of baking powder in the batter. He wasn’t having a good time. 

Luckily for him, Derek managed to get Isaac out of the apartment for the night, allowing Stiles to bake without having to hide everything. He didn’t know where the two went, but it did the job. Flawlessly at that. It was an hour until the party would begin and Stiles  _ finally _ felt satisfied with the final result, a beautiful cookies and cream cake. Stiles smiled at his masterpiece. It took him the entire night to complete and-

No. No no no no no. How did he fuck up so badly? How could he forget?! Stiles hand shook as his breathing became erratic. He couldn’t believe it. Isaac was going to hate it! He was going to hate everything and it was all Stiles’s fault. 

“Stiles?” Boyd worriedly called out. He was crouching beside Stiles and placed a heavy arm over his shoulder. 

“I-I forgot.” Stiles cried. He curled into himself. When did he even get on the floor? 

“Forgot what?” Boyd’s voice was deep and gentle. It was comforting, so Stiles leaned into the warm body. 

“The food-I forgot the fu-fucking food! All I have is a stupid cake that he’s going to hate.” Stiles’s fists were clenched tightly. His breathing became erratic once more as the panic took over. 

Boyd tightened his grip and began to rock slowly. He hummed various nursing rhymes and carded his thick fingers through Stiles’s hair. Stiles slowly began to calm down and managed to stop shaking once he was nearly asleep. 

“What I’m going to do is order all of Isaac’s favorite food and have them cater. You’re going to take a shower and get dressed then I’m going to drive us to the venue. After it’s all over, you’re going to come home and sleep until tomorrow evening. You’re not allowed to cook no matter how much Isaac and Erica beg.” Boyd somehow managed to say all of that sternly yet softly. Stiles was too exhausted to argue so he settled for nodding. “Okay good.” Boyd nodded and ruffled Stiles’s hair before helping him up and ushering him toward the bathroom. 

After Stiles was showered and dress, he walked into the kitchen to see everything cleaned up and the cake was neatly packaged up. Stiles smiled to himself at Boyd’s kindness. He needed to remember to thank Boyd for this. Boyd stepped out of his room and into the hall, where he and Stiles made eye contact. Boyd nodded towards the door and Stiles grabbed the cake and walked over towards him. The two walked out and took the elevator down to the lobby and towards Boyds truck. 

They managed to arrive two minutes early, allowing Stiles to look around after placing the cake into the kitchen. The venue was large, but they only had access to the first floor. In the far left there was a stage with round tables with candles positioned in front of it. In the far right, there’s a bar and some tables meant for the food. The place was decorated with green and silver balloons that made Stiles wonder about the reason behind the color scheme. The curtains were dark green but were decorated with silver strings of fairy lights. There were also some pictures along the walls of Isaac throughout his teenage years. Most of them seemed to be group photos of all of his roommates. Surprisingly, there were some with Stiles in them. When did they take these? 

The tables were covered in dark green silk with silver frills at the end. The paper plates kept the same color scheme, but also had  **Isaac’s 23rd!** written in Allison’s familiar cursive. Upon closer inspection, Stiles noticed that the plates were custom made. He wondered how they’ve managed that. 

“See something you like?” Erica practically purred in his ear, causing him to jump. 

“It looks amazing! What’s with the colors?” He questioned once he gathered his bearings. It took entirely too long, in his opinion, for the jitters to stop. 

She rolled her eyes fondly, “He’s a Slytherin and proud of it too.” 

Stiles snorted, “And what are you?” 

Erica’s grin turned into a proud smile with teeth, “Gryffindor.” 

Stiles eyed her critically, but accepted her answer none the less, “I’m Ravenclaw.” 

“We’re a trio of nerds.” Isaac interjected, causing both Stiles and Erica to turn to face him, “This is cool by the way.” Isaac spoke the last part softly. Instead of the usual cocky grin he wore, Isaac was smiling shyly. 

“Happy Birthday!” Stiles and Erica yelled before attacking the birthday boy with a hug. Isaac didn’t try to fight it, instead, he embraced them tightly. 

“Thanks. Everything looks great.” 

The two pulled back from Isaac and Erica kissed his cheek. Erica dragged Isaac off to show him everything she and Allison had done. The building was beginning to fill with many faces Stiles didn’t recognize. He was glad so many people showed up even with the last-minute invite. It didn’t take long for Scott and Stiles to spot each other. 

“Dude this looks great!” Scott boasted once he made his way towards Stiles. 

Stiles grinned at his best friend, “I know right? Erica and Ally did amazing.” 

Scott nodded in agreement before frowning and asking Stiles to talk in private. Stiles nodded, though confused, and followed Scott to an empty hallway. 

“Ally and Erica nearly got in a fight and I mean a real physical fight,” Scott admitted. There was concern clear in his face and Stiles understood why. Allison  _ never _ fought anyone or even got aggressive with them. She’d been acting strange around his roommates, so maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to pair them together. 

“What stopped them?” Stiles wondered out loud.

“Jackson of all people!” Scott waved his arms in the air. Scott leaned in to whisper the next part,  _ “He chewed them out, dude! He’s seriously maturing.” _

Stiles couldn’t really share the same shock that Scott displayed. Yeah, Jackson had come along way since his high school bully days, but Stiles was there to see that progress and change. It was Scott, who stubbornly refused to hang out with Jackson unless it was a group outing. 

“Can’t really say I’m shocked,” Stiles shrugged, “What were they fighting over.” 

Scott aggressively ran a hand through his hair, “I don’t know! She won’t tell me and it’s killing me.” Scott pouted. 

Stiles gave his friend a sympathy pat on the back, “She’ll tell you when she’s ready.” He reassured. Stiles’s attention turned to the buzzing in his pocket. He grabbed his phone and checked his messages. Nothing. Stiles then checked his call log and noticed a missed call from an unknown number. The number left a voicemail, so Stiles decided to listen to it. 

“Shit.” Stiles whispered weakly after the voicemail ended. 

“What’s wrong?” Scott immediately went into protective mode upon seeing the defeated expression on Stiles’s face. 

“I’m broke.” Stiles’s watery eyes met Scotts, “I used everything I had to do this and now Theo…” Stiles’s voice faded as he leaned against the wall.

Scott scrunched his face up in confusion, “What about your job?”

Stiles let out a bitter laugh, “Theo got it for me. I was fired after getting my things from him.” 

“Stiles…”

“He told me he paid for my medical bills when we thought I had Frontotemporal Dementia.” Stiles swallowed back his tears. He was tired of crying today. He just wanted to sleep. “The hospital just called me. I guess he finally gave them my number.” He remarked. “What a dickhead.” 

Scott nodded in agreement, “So what now?” 

This is why Stiles loved Scott. Scott was practically his brother. He always knew when to coddle Stiles and when not to. “Maybe I should move back in with my dad. I can’t afford this apartment anymore and I’m not getting any calls back for jobs. Plus today is proof that I’m not in a good place. I had five months’ worth of rent that’s gone because I’m still stuck in the constant state of needing approval.

Theo really fucked with me man. I never thought I was good enough, so I did everything I could to be better. To be someone he wanted.” Stiles took a deep inhale and exhale, “Then he goes and does this to me. I’m so sick of it Scott. There’s just so much shit…” 

The two stood in silence for a few minutes. Stiles made sure to keep his breathing in check before getting off the wall and beckoning Scott to leave the hallway with him, “It’s almost time for the special event.” Stiles plastered a smile on his face that didn’t fool Scott the slightest, but Scott knew better than to call it out. Especially when Stiles was as tired as he was. 

They went into the main event room, where the lights were dimmed. People were either in their seats, chatting happily, or getting food from the vast amount of choices on the tables. How had Boyd managed to get caterers so last minute? Stiles and Scott made their way to the larger table in the center that sat Stiles’s roommates and his friends. Stiles would have sat Isaacs’s other friends there, but Boyd claimed that he had no close relationships outside of the apartment. 

Stiles sat in the empty seat next to Derek and Boyd, while Scott sat in between Allison and Lydia. Boyd whispered a low ‘great job’ while Derek gave Stiles a small grin. Stiles counted both as a win. He really hoped Isaac liked it. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen-” Danny’s voice boomed over the speakers causing Stiles’s eyes to widen in shock. His head whipped over to Jackson, who simply mouthed ‘you owe me one’ before turning his attention back to the stage. “-I introduce outfits so amazingly designed, so stunning, so exhilerati-”

“Get on with it!” Jackson yelled from his seat. Stiles winced as he saw Lydia stomp on Jackson’s foot with her heel. 

Danny cleared his throat, “I present Isaac Lahey’s top ten designs!” Music blared loudly as the first model strutted across the stage. He made sure to show off all parts of the outfit before exiting on his left. The next model was a woman, who Stiles vaguely recognized from a shoot they did together. The models enter and exit one by one, successfully portraying some sort of personality that fit the outfits. Stiles glanced at Isaac who seemed awestruck to see his designs on stage. Stiles really did owe Jackson for this. 

After all the models finish, the crowd goes crazy with applause. Erica forces Isaac to stand. Isaac bows dramatically, while blushing wildly. The grin on his face was reflected by everyone at the table. It made everything Stiles did seem worth it, especially when the recruits went by the table to potentially hire Isaac for his amazing work. Stiles decided he was going to also bake Jackson his favorite brownies as a gift. 

The party went smoothly and Stiles nearly managed to forget his troubles. The guest started to thin out after a few hours, but the grin on Isaac’s face never left. Stiles stood outside to thank the guest for coming and wish them well. The place had to be nearly empty since no one left in nearly ten minutes. 

“Hey.” Isaac greeted as he met Stiles outside the building. 

“Did you like your birthday?” Stiles asked. Isaac chose not to answer but instead engulfed him into a hug. “I’ll take that as yes.” 

Isaac let out a carefree laugh and swung Stiles around before setting him down. “You’re such an idiot.” Stiles was confused on whether or not to be offended. The smile on Isaac’s face made it hard to. “Erica heard what you told Scott and thank you. That was really nice.” Isaac was blushing again. “But-” uh oh, “I never want you to do that again for anyone. Take care of yourself please.” The plea was whispered so lowly that Stiles nearly missed it. 

“Yeah, I kind of went overboard, but totally worth it!” Stiles grinned brightly. Isaac stared at him starstruck before abruptly leaning in. Before Stiles knew it, Isaac’s lips were on his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't supposed to be this long! I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be long as well. You can expect some roommate drama next chapter. Also, Stiles will date other people before Derek. Sterek is endgame, but I wanna build my way up to it.


End file.
